Adult coloring books are all the buzz of late. It is clear that it revolves around colored pencils or crayons and coloring pages. But, it is just coloring, right? How can something like staying within the lines be a benefit to me?

I grew up during the time of doodle art – remember those? You got a pack of felt markers and elaborate black line drawings on a number of themes. I would spend hours coloring these in! Little did I know then that coloring pages were a benefit to my well-being.

Well, apparently they were back then and still are today for people of all ages.

People are making the adult coloring books bestsellers on Amazon! At the time of this writing, eight of the top twenty books on the bestsellers list, are coloring books for adults. There must be something behind this recent growth in interest.

The themes of adult coloring books are usually intricate and centered more around adult images, not your childhood counterparts that included bunnies, super heroes, and farm animals. You would expect to see geometric patterns, psychedelic patterns reminiscent of doodle art type pages, fantasy images including angels, dragons, goddesses and mermaids, and ancient designs of religious and spiritual nature.

So why the fascination, and how can they help you?

In the most basic sense, the act of applying colored media to intricate line drawings is a benefit to relaxation and stress reduction. You are able to put the outside world aside for the moment and focus on the art of coloring singularly.

Studies have shows that anxiety levels dropped in adults that colored. They did note that simple doodling had no affect on anxiety. The focus on coloring and switching off the brain allows that blocking of anxiety in the moment. Coloring does not have a need for complicated thought processes and like listening to calming music, you are able to get within yourself, isolated from external anxiety, commotion, and distractions.

The repetitive, low-stress, and “no brainer” act of color lends itself to relaxation. The calming effects not only helps to reduce stress levels, but also can help to bring you back to your youth.

The awesome part is that anyone can do it will no skill set required! Grab a crayon and you are good to go. You can make it even more enjoyable and have your kids or grandkids color with you. Depending on the age of the young ones they may be interested in the adult coloring books, others still wanting to color a cow, astronaut, or pretty flower arrangement.